1. Field
This disclosure relates to an electrochromic material and an electrochromic device including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrochromism refers to a phenomenon in which a color of a material may be reversibly changed according to a direction of an electric field when a voltage is applied. A material having such property, that is, a material whose optical characteristics may be reversibly changed by an electrochemical redox reaction, is called an electrochromic material. An electrochromic material be colorless until an electric field is applied thereto, or conversely it may be colored in the absence of an applied electric field and lose the color and become colorless when an electric field is applied.
Electrochromic materials have been applied in electrochromic devices wherein light transmission characteristics change according to an applied voltage. For example, smart windows are an example of an electrochromic device which utilizes electrochromic light transmission characteristics. Recently electrochromic materials have also been utilized in display devices, such as electronic paper, due to the excellent portability and light weight of such devices.
In a commercially available electrochromic device, an electrochromic material is fixed on an electrode. The electrochromic material is fixed by providing an additional conductive material, such as titanium oxide (TiO2), on the electrode and adsorbing the electrochromic material using the same. However, such a fixing process includes a heat treatment at a high temperature, and the electrochromic material is easily removed, and thus may undesirably deteriorate, degrading the reliability of a device.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved electrochromic material and an improved method to manufacture an electrochromic device.